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Tourism to Lowell National Historical Park Creates Over $40 Million in Economic Benefits

LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS–A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 531,055 visitors to Lowell National Historical Park in 2015 spent $30,408,900 in communities near the park. That spending supported 453 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $42,983,200.

"Lowell National Historical Park's original mandate to encourage economic development through historic preservation and cultural tourism is still working today," said Superintendent Celeste Bernardo. "We are delighted to share the story of Lowell and the many experiences the park, partners, and city provides. National park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy, returning $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service, and it's an even more significant factor in our local economy. In addition to boosting visitor spending, funding for the national park and National Park Service programs, such as the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentive program, has spurred private investment of hundreds of millions of dollars to help preserve and revitalize the city of Lowell. We appreciate the partnership and support of our partners and the community, and are glad to be able to give back."

The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by U.S. Geological Survey economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas and National Park Service economist Lynne Koontz. The report shows $16.9 billion of direct spending by 307.2 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported 295,000 jobs nationally;252,000 of those jobs are found in these gateway communities. The cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy was $32 billion.

According to the 2015 report, most park visitor spending was for lodging (31.1 percent) followed by food and beverages (20.2 percent), gas and oil (11.8 percent), admissions and fees (10.2 percent) and souvenirs and other expenses (9.8 percent).

Report authors this year produced an interactive tool. Users can explore current year visitor spending, jobs, labor income, value added, and output effects by sector for national, state, and local economies. Users can also view year-by-year trend data. The interactive tool and report are available at the NPS Social Science Program webpage:go.nps.gov/vse.

The report includes information for visitor spending at individual parks and by state.

To learn more about national parks in Massachusetts and how the National Park Service works with Massachusetts communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go towww.nps.gov/mass. To learn more about Lowell National Historical Park, visitwww.nps.gov/lowe.